The aviation equipment rack is a vital component in an aircraft, yet existing systems have a number of drawbacks. A common balance that prior systems have attempted to strike is between rigidity and weight. Many manufacturers of aviation equipment racks have increased the strength of the rack by adding supporting material, utilizing stronger/thicker materials, etc. But that increases the mass of the aviation equipment rack. In avionics, where every ounce translates to fuel dollars, the balance between rigidity and strength is a difficult one to strike. Also, the addition of supporting material can result in increased complexity of the aviation equipment rack such that assembly is difficult and time consuming or the rack must be preassembled at the factory and shipped in cumbersome boxes at great expense.
A common failing in aviation equipment racks is a failure to provide a lightweight, modular aviation equipment rack with a simple construction that allows low profile shipping and easy on-site assembly. Various types of aviation equipment racks developed over the years in an attempt to solve some of these problems have mixed results. For example, some companies manufacture custom aviation equipment racks to fit in the space in which it will occupy and to support the specific equipment used by that pilot, requiring the company to construct a unique aviation equipment rack for each job. Other manufactures construct preassembled, three-dimensional aviation equipment racks for supporting aviation equipment, resulting in increased shipping and handling costs and requiring additional space for storing the packaged product due to the preassembled construction.